Always keep the key with you…

I have decided to repost some of my old blog posts from the distant past when I was working as a School Librarian. Kids do the funniest things and I really enjoyed working in a school. Posts may be edited from the original blog. So this is part of a series from my old Batty Librarian Blog…

Some time ago we had the locks to the library and the computer rooms changed to the same key. Now I think this is stupid for a number of reasons but we won’t go into that. Anyway, all the locks are the same and they gave us one key to hand out to teachers and/or sixth formers who need to use the adjacent computer room.

Each time someone asks for the key we note their name down, smile and give them the key. We then go about our business, content in the knowledge that whoever signed it out is almost guaranteed not to be the person who hands in back in. Still, who are we to argue. I suppose by noting the first person to take the key they can follow a trail…

Back to the story. I was busy sorting out the new stationary I bought for the kids when the DT teacher walks in again after taking the key out only ten minutes before:

“Do you have another key”

I look quizzically at him “Why, what happened to the first one?”

“I was looking for some stragglers when they locked me out from inside the classroom. i can hear them giggling from the corridor.”

I sigh and take my personal set of keys out and walk down to the offending room. I put the key in and try to turn it. It’s stuck! The little so and so’s had left the key in the lock on the other side.

The teacher shrugs and says”Oh well, seems I’ve got a free then” and walks off to the staff room.